- Apr 1, 2001
- 21,198
- 9
- 81
So, after years of indecision and driving a family car, I've decided to get a "new" car. The quotes indicate that the car might be a new buy/lease or a used car. The leased car will be chosen dependant on lease rate and the used car upon total price, obviously. I realize that at my age (22), I should do the logical thing and buy a reliable used car...but I'm a greedy little bastard who's had a relatively good life and of course, I don't expect any excessive hardships to pop up in the near future. Here are my questions and concerns, before I give you a list of what I'm looking at.
If I go to a dealership looking at new cars, are there any costs that dealers can "toss in"? Other than flat out haggling, are there any tools at my disposal?
For a used car, I'll get it fully inspected and get a background check on it...it might even be off a dealer's lot, hopefully getting me a basic warranty.
The car must be "small" and have good performance w/o sacrificing personal comfort. By small, I mean not a full-sized sedan and smaller than the SUVs I've driven for the last 5 years...not too difficult. I'm looking for something that has a good amount of power in it, supplying me with a fun ride every time I get in the car. Insurance also cannot be insanely high, so please point out if any of my choices will be excessively expensive to insure. Here are what I have at the top of my list right now:
New:
Saab 9-3 Linear Sport Sedan - I was just at the dealer today and they have a great 2-year lease program going right now. I have the opportunity to test drive it for 24 hours, which I will do. It's not the most powerful car, but the amenities are much nicer than most, and 175 isn't horrible. With no haggling, GMS discount and incentives, plus $2000 down, an out-the-door price of $221 a month was found, including destination, charges, title, plate transfer and tax. This is really tempting, so tell me why you like or don't like the car.
Mazda 3 - Small, sporty, cheap w/o any employee discounts. I love the look, but it's not too powerful.
Scion tC - Same as the 3 pretty much, but I'd look at the TRD SCed version, giving it a good amount of power.
Used:
Honda Prelude 97+ - One of my favorite cars of all time...ex's mom had an auto 97, which was really fun to drive. I love the look, and it's a Honda so reliability shouldn't be an issue assuming I get it properly tuned up and checked out. Gas will be expensive, and insurance as well though.
Audi A4 97+ - Also a great look to it, with a load of them on the market, so availability is high. 2.8 or 1.8T with ECU upgrade and engine/suspension mods, it's a great drivers car. Many come with leather and whatnot, making personal comforts very nice. Same costs as Prelude.
Acura Integra, late model - Same thing again, with huge aftermarket choices. expensive to insure, high likeliness of being stolen. Not as unique as Prelude, which I would prefer over the Teg.
Honda Accord V6 coupe - The sensible choice, with a decent performance. Cheap to insure, great reliability, millions to choose from.
Cliff Notes:
Want to buy/lease used/new car, give suggestions and reviews.
Just finished the post...sorry about the length. Must be the longest thing I've written here.
If I go to a dealership looking at new cars, are there any costs that dealers can "toss in"? Other than flat out haggling, are there any tools at my disposal?
For a used car, I'll get it fully inspected and get a background check on it...it might even be off a dealer's lot, hopefully getting me a basic warranty.
The car must be "small" and have good performance w/o sacrificing personal comfort. By small, I mean not a full-sized sedan and smaller than the SUVs I've driven for the last 5 years...not too difficult. I'm looking for something that has a good amount of power in it, supplying me with a fun ride every time I get in the car. Insurance also cannot be insanely high, so please point out if any of my choices will be excessively expensive to insure. Here are what I have at the top of my list right now:
New:
Saab 9-3 Linear Sport Sedan - I was just at the dealer today and they have a great 2-year lease program going right now. I have the opportunity to test drive it for 24 hours, which I will do. It's not the most powerful car, but the amenities are much nicer than most, and 175 isn't horrible. With no haggling, GMS discount and incentives, plus $2000 down, an out-the-door price of $221 a month was found, including destination, charges, title, plate transfer and tax. This is really tempting, so tell me why you like or don't like the car.
Mazda 3 - Small, sporty, cheap w/o any employee discounts. I love the look, but it's not too powerful.
Scion tC - Same as the 3 pretty much, but I'd look at the TRD SCed version, giving it a good amount of power.
Used:
Honda Prelude 97+ - One of my favorite cars of all time...ex's mom had an auto 97, which was really fun to drive. I love the look, and it's a Honda so reliability shouldn't be an issue assuming I get it properly tuned up and checked out. Gas will be expensive, and insurance as well though.
Audi A4 97+ - Also a great look to it, with a load of them on the market, so availability is high. 2.8 or 1.8T with ECU upgrade and engine/suspension mods, it's a great drivers car. Many come with leather and whatnot, making personal comforts very nice. Same costs as Prelude.
Acura Integra, late model - Same thing again, with huge aftermarket choices. expensive to insure, high likeliness of being stolen. Not as unique as Prelude, which I would prefer over the Teg.
Honda Accord V6 coupe - The sensible choice, with a decent performance. Cheap to insure, great reliability, millions to choose from.
Cliff Notes:
Want to buy/lease used/new car, give suggestions and reviews.
Just finished the post...sorry about the length. Must be the longest thing I've written here.
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